Monday, September 28, 2009

Dear friends,

As much of you know, PANIC! has gone through some tough internal problems between November of last year and this past March. We've said many times that all those issues were resolved while we were recording Broken Down on Memory Lane and we even went to some consulting to resolve any buried issues during the recording sessions. Most, if not all problems we had as a band and individual problems we had with a particular band-mate/friend were resolved. During that period of time everyone in PANIC! were going through some tough times. I can only speak for myself and I can say that I went through a very heavy state of depression while recording my solo album. That came from many different situations, at that point had ended a almost three year long relationship I had, PANIC! was going through all these problems as a band and human beings because we were so obsessed with getting our name out there that we never just sat down and talked about personal stuff. Those and many other things that affected me which I can't tell you in detail because even I don't understand why they affected me so badly. PANIC! after everything has come out stronger than ever! But I feel like I haven't done much from my part to reach out to my friends who I spend 300 days a year with. I feel like I've taken them and many others for granted and I regret it. But for the last week or so I've felt like I'm having a relapse with old, bad memories resurfacing.

With fear and caution of maybe going through a depression again I have decided to cancel my solo tour that was scheduled for October across the United States and one date in Canada. I will be taking a extended break from my solo career since I feel it could get in the way of my work with not only my career with PANIC! but it could also affect my personal life. If you're reading this you probably know that my solo album, "Matters of the Heart" has been released last week and I've decided to donate 100% of its sells to charities. Such charities as Love146, Invisible Children, and my own personal charity Limelight on Hunger will each be getting a respective percentage of the sales as long as the album is being pressed.

I'm not asking for sympathy and I still know some people will take as I'm just making some bull story to get attention but everyone that knows me personally can tell you this is no publicity stunt. No one should fear that I might do something stupid because I'm not the type of person that attempts to done their problems with drugs or alcohol. This situation will not affect in anyway PANIC!'s upcoming tour nor any event already scheduled. I have spoken with Ashley, Gabriel, Joey, Victoria, Anilet and Nick. They've all supported me and have respected all my decisions.

I will participate in some of PANIC! promotional events in the coming weeks but for some I might stay behind the scenes and support the rest of the crew. Hopefully I will be able to figure some stuff out in the next month before PANIC! tour across the United States and will be able to bring the same energy as the rest of the band.

I hope all the fans will respect my decision. I believe PANIC! fans should still be excited for what might the future holds for the band. I would like to thank everyone that has supported me in the last year and I hope I don't lose any of them because they all mean a great deal to me. So, thank you for taking time and reading this.

Take Care,
Ryan Ross Hernandez